Summary The Handmaid's Tale - Character Quotes and Analysis - IEB English 2024
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Course
English Home Language
Institution
12th Grade
Book
The Handmaid's Tale
An carefully-constructed, content-heavy document that explores all important quotes one should know in order to write a constructive and powerful literary essay. Quotes are properly analyzed according to the context, story line and theme. The document has a very aesthetically pleasing touch for mor...
The handmaid's tale notes on Atwood's context - A STAR
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1. Quotes & analysis - Offred
2. Quotes & analysis - Aunt Lydia
3. Quotes & analysis - Serena Joy
4. Quotes & analysis - The Commander
5. Quotes & analysis - Moira
6. Quotes & analysis - Ofglen
7. Quotes & analysis - Nick
8. The State of Gilead
9. The Epigraphs
, Offred
--
Offred, the protagonist in "The Handmaid's Tale," adapts to her role as a surrogate in
Gilead, finding hope in her bleak reality. A shift occurs when the Commander defies
Gileadean norms, sparking an illicit relationship. This leads Offred to the forbidden
Jezebel's nightclub, where she reunites with Moira. As her connection with Nick
deepens, Offred's interest in the Commander wanes. The story concludes with a
potential rescue as a black van, possibly summoned by Nick, arrives at the
Commander's residence to retrieve Offred.
--
“We learnt to whisper almost without sound”
The centre is characterised by a lack of personal freedom and a lack of the Handmaids’
ability to express themselves. These whispers are not just a means of sharing information
but also an act of solidarity, and a way of asserting their humanity in a dehumanising
environment.
“I try not to think too much. Like other things now, thought must be rationed”
Offred has recalled Aunt Lydia telling her to "think of it as like being in the army." This
statement highlights the strict and harsh life in Gilead. Not only has Offred lost access to
material pleasures, intimacy with others, and freedom, but even her thoughts are restricted
by the oppressive world in which she lives.
“I intend to last”
Offred speaks about the circumstances in which she lives and experiences. She is
determined to survive. The themes of hope and determination are highlighted here.
“Such freedom now seems almost weightless”
Offred reminisces of the time in her past with her husband where she would talk with him
about their future together. Offred’s freedom has been taken away from her completely –
the Gileadean regime has transformed her life into a miserable one.
, “If it’s a story I’m telling, then I have control over the ending”
Offred recalls the time when her child was taken away from her and when she was showed a
picture of her child with another family. Offred becomes self-motivated and determined to
control what happens by the end of her time in the regime – she can steer in the direction to
which her story leads.
“I would like to have a knife like that”
Offred sees Rita slicing carrots. Offred's contemplation of ending her life is reflected in her
description of a sharp and alluring knife, hinting at her yearning for a means to escape her
oppressive reality.
“There are only women who are fruitful and women who barren, that’s the law”
Offred states the laws put in place in this regime, after her doctor uses the word ‘sterile’ to
describe some MEN in the regime. This statement underscores the patriarchal nature of the
regime and its totalitarian control by illustrating how it enforces a skewed narrative where
men are exempt from being labelled as ‘sterile’, thereby reinforcing the regime's power of
suppressing any challenges to its authority.
“The penalty is death”
“It’s the choice that terrifies me”
Offred’s doctor suggests that he impregnates Offred in order to help her fulfil her duties as a
Handmaid and avoid the colonies, however Offred exclaims that she will be killed if someone
finds out. This scenario exemplifies the oppressive nature of Gilead's regime, where the
exploitation of women's bodies for reproductive purposes is sanctioned, revealing the
profound fear in resisting such authoritative control.
“I am a national resource”
Offred acknowledges her importance in this society. The regime perceives fertile women like
Offred as valuable resources for the nation’s survival, highlighting how Gilead commodifies
women's reproductive abilities to maintain control and power.
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